Fair processing notices - Council tax

To comply with data protection legislation we are telling you how we use the personal data we hold about you.  

The data will be used:

• for the administration of council tax in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992. This includes establishing your liability, billing and recovery of the amount owing
• to allow for the calculation of any discounts or exemptions, including council tax support in accordance with the Welfare Reform Act 2012
• for the pursuance of empty homes across the city in accordance with Local Government Finance Act 1992

We are required by this legislation to hold and use your information for council tax administration.  Some of this data is also used:

• to assist with the collection of other monies owing to the city council such as rent, non-domestic rates or other sundry debts
• to safeguard adults, and children under the Children’s Act 1989
• for the prevention and detection of fraud under Digital Economy Act 2017 (Part 5)
• to ensure the electoral register is accurately maintained in accordance with Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 
• to detect and prevent issues relating to environmental health under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part III, section 79
• for the purpose of consumer protection under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

We might also share some of your information with other agencies such as:

• the Department for Work and Pensions, under the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992
• other local authorities in the public interest
• Valuation Office Agency (VOA)
• Valuation Tribunal Service
• your employer under the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992
• third party enforcement agents acting on behalf of the city council.
• third party companies acting on behalf of the city council for debt collection.
• The Office of National Statistics (under Section 45A of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007)

Data held for the administration of council tax is held for a minimum of six years following the closure of your account, and where there is no balance owing.

We may share data with our internal audit team to evaluate the effectiveness of the organisation’s risk management, control and governance processes.  We may also share your data with the council's fraud team to help to prevent and detect fraud.
 
Data protection legislation provides you with certain rights, however not all of these rights will be available to you in all situations.  Where we are under a legal duty to use data for a particular purpose you will not have the right to prevent it being used in that way:

• you can ask to see the information that we hold about you
• you can ask what is being done with the information that we hold about you
• you can ask to have some data that we hold about you deleted
• you can ask us to review a decision made about you by a computer, and ask for a new decision to be made without a computer
• you can ask us to stop processing data that we hold about you, but only in limited circumstances, such as processing for research, historical or direct marketing reasons
• you can ask us to make changes to inaccurate data
• you can ask us to move your information somewhere else
• you can ask us to restrict or limit what we do with your data, for example if you believe that data we hold is inaccurate, or you believe the processing in unlawful

Request this information using our online form

Write to the information rights team at foi@stoke.gov.uk or Information Rights Team, Floor 2, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH 
 
If you wish to complain about how your personal information has been handled by the city council contact the information rights team in the first instance, on the details provided above.

If you remain dissatisfied then the Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted.

Information Commissioner's Office website

You have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at any time.